ENTREPRENURSHIP SKILLS REQUIRED OF ACCOUNTING EDUCATION GRADUATES FOR JOB PERFORMANCE IN THE GENERATION Z.

Abstract

Generation Z comprises younger individuals who were born during a period of significant technological advancements. As digital natives, they are recognized for their entrepreneurial inclinations; however, there are increasing concerns regarding the decline in their entrepreneurial intentions. This study aimed to identify the entrepreneurship skills required of Accounting Education graduates to perform effectively in the workplace for Generation Z. To achieve this, two research questions and two null hypotheses were developed. A descriptive survey design was employed, focusing on Rivers State, with a sample size of 377 senior civil servants from selected ministry of education comprises 27,964 population. Data collection utilised a structured questionnaire designed to gather responses related to the research questions. The instrument was validated by three experts, two in Accounting Education department and one in Measurement and Evaluation with an overall reliability index of .89. The analysis of the collected data involved calculating Mean and Standard Deviation for the research questions of the 362 field responses, alongside t-tests for the hypotheses, at a significance level of .05. The findings revealed that senior civil servants perceive entrepreneurship skills such as accounting, and problem-solving skills as essential for accounting education graduates. The researcher recommended that accounting education lecturers should adopt teaching methods that encourage learners’ entrepreneurship skills such as accounting and problem-solving skills for job performance in the generation Z.